(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents a coalition of property and business owners throughout Pinal County who have worked to bring new transportation infrastructure to the region.)
By Sasha Hupka | Arizona Republic
Every weekday morning, nearly 60% of Pinal County’s commuters pilgrimage across county lines.
Nearly three-quarters of working residents there hold jobs in neighboring Maricopa County, according to data from the Maricopa Association of Governments.
But many of those who make the daily drive must contend with unrelenting, bumper-to-bumper traffic.
The county and its commuters are in a conundrum. Officials say new roads are desperately needed, particularly in the fast-growing eastern half of the county, but a half-cent sales tax that would have funded them failed in November.
“That whole corridor — if you just drew a circle from (State Route) 24 around to (State Route) 347, where Maricopa goes back into Maricopa County — that’s all the growth,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland, who chairs the board of the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority. “Those (areas) are where all the industry is.”
